Mexico Announces Tax Incentive to Lure Travelers
DOT Announces Proposal to Ease Air Congestion
China Holds Three Days of Mourning for Quake Victims
Fuel Prices at the Bottom of Travel Woes
Fighting the Mafia With Your Travel Dollars
MEXICO ANNOUNCES TAX INCENTIVE TO LURE TRAVELERS - BusinessWeek
For the first time, Mexico has announced a shopping tax break to boost American tourism starting in June at five main airports. Foreign travelers that have spent at least 1,200 pesos ($115) in approved shops can reclaim the 15 percent sales tax from kiosks at Mexico City, Cancún, Guadalajara, Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta airports. Airports in Cozumel and Mazatlán will offer the same service in 2009, followed the country’s remaining airports and cruise ship ports. Half of that money can be claimed in cash, up to a maximum of about $955, and the rest will be credited to bank accounts or credit cards within 40 days. Tourism is Mexico’s third most important source of foreign income, bringing in $14 billion in 2007.
Link: BusinessWeek
DOT ANNOUNCES PROPOSAL TO EASE AIR CONGESTION - MSNBC
The Department of Transportation announced Friday that slot auctions, designed to reduce delays and increase competition, will soon be in place at JFK and Newark airports. Similar slot auctions were announced last month for New York’s LaGuardia Airport, which will require carriers to auction off some existing slots over the next five years. Proceeds would be invested in New York-area congestion and capacity improvements. Some critics argue that this move will do little to ease delays, including the Air Transport Association which said that the government has no authority to impose auctions and threatened legal action. The DOT also announced that the industry and government must work on improving procedures regarding aircraft maintenance and safety to avoid the massive cancellations that left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded in April.
Link: MSNBC
CHINA HOLDS THREE DAYS OF MOURNING - NPR
China will spend three days in mourning to mark the devastating earthquake that killed an estimated 50,000 people. The government announced that the official mourning period would start Monday and asked residents to observe three minutes of silence starting at 2:28 p.m.—exactly one week from the day of the massive quake. The Olympic torch relay also will be suspended during the mourning period. Despite remarkable tales of survival among the buried, hope is dwindling that rescuers will be able to find trapped survivors. The confirmed death toll is currently at 32,476 and the number of injured is more than 220,000.
Link: National Public Radio
FUEL PRICES AT THE BOTTOM OF AIRLINE WOES – Salon.com
A never-ending series of airline woes continue to make headline news, including bankruptcies, safety scandals and rising fees—and the culprit behind all of this is the soaring price of fuel. According to the International Air Transport Association, fuel increases have cost airlines $65 billion, and things aren’t getting much better. Pilot Patrick Smith estimates that there’s a chance that oil will reach more than $200 a barrel, which will mean “massive realignment and consolidation” for airlines. And moving commercial aviation away from fossil fuels is a daunting, if not impossible task. Some results of this crisis include airlines cutting unprofitable routes and “unbundling” ticket prices—aka nickel and diming passengers for every perk imaginable.
Link: Salon.com
FIGHT MAFIA CRIME WITH YOUR TRAVEL DOLLARS – The Guardian (UK)
Sicilian locals are fighting back against decades of Mafia rule by asking travelers to spend their dollars at establishments that refuse to pay protection money. The Cosa Nostra mafia extorts an estimated $250 million from Palermo businesses each year, and about $2.5 billion from the island of Sicily. More than 80 percent of Sicilian businesses, including hotels, restaurants and cafes, pay between $300 and $1,500 in protection money, or pizzo to the mafia, meaning that a portion of these fees come from tourist dollars. For a list of pizzo-free businesses, visit http://www.addiopizzo.org.
Link: The Guardian (UK)
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